Backgrounds In Web Design: Examples And Best Practices
Web design has come a long way since its beginning, especially in terms of styling. Take a look at a website from 10 years ago and compare it to one from today. The differences are enormous. One of the major changes you will notice is the background. Today, backgrounds are one of the core features that determine how visually interesting a website is.
The background holds the theme of the website, and there are a vast amount of possibilities when designing a website background. This article goes over the best practices and popular trends of backgrounds in the current stage of innovative Web design.
You may also be interested in the following related posts:
The Basic Background Structures
Before talking about how to design a good background, we need to go over basic background set ups. While not the only structures out there, these three are the most often used.
Body Background
The body background is the most “distant” background. It is usually an image, illustration, texture/pattern or other graphical element.
Content Background
The other level of the structure is the content background. This is the background of the text, images and other base data or information.
Option 1: Content and Body Background Layered
The first structure is multiple layers of backgrounds. On the bottom is the body background. Then layered on top of that is the content background.
This is one of many styles that use a layered approach. The background is a large image, and containers of content are layered on top of the background. The core content has a solid background, but the titles have a semi-transparent background.
The design above shows a layout in which content elements are separated from each other. Here below is the more common form of a layered structure. The wrapper and content have a set width background, while beyond the set width the bottom layer is visible.
Option 2: Content Directly on Body Illustration or Texture
The next structural technique is to lay the content directly on a background. This is generally done with body backgrounds consisting of illustrations, textures and images. This technique is trickier, especially with images, but it can work nicely if you get the color balance perfect. This means a contrast between the background and text that allows the text to be easily readable and scannable.
The website below lays the content, text and images directly on the illustrated background. Because of the contrast between the white text and blue background, the content is legible. The images have a strong border that separates them from the background and brings the image forward.
Option 3: The Body and Content Background as One
The most simple and basic structure is one in which the content background is the body background. This is usually done with a single color or a few different colors, but nothing too complex.
The website below shows this structure used with a single-color background.
Wrapper/Header Backgrounds
Websites have so many places to implement good background design. Two of those places are the header and behind the top of the wrapper. Here are a few pointers on how to work with backgrounds in those two areas.
Standard Header Background
Illustrations, images, textures and colors are good to use for a header background. This is an easy way to liven up the website without interrupting the core content in the wrapper.
Provide a Separator That Flows
When designing a header that is separate from the rest of the layout, you need to use a good transition. Sometimes, the contrast between the header and the content background colors or styles will do the trick. In other cases, the two elements need to work together in harmony, instead of against each other.
Here is one example of a header that flows nicely into the content background. Instead of a sharp and immediate transition with the image, the graphic fades out:
The next one is a very different approach than the transition effect but works just as nicely. The large amount of unused space may seem pointless, but it actually helps provide a separation between the top navigation and content.
Flowing Illustrated Wrappers
Using illustration, or any graphic element for that matter, is a very good technique for adding a little more personality and feeling to a website. On top of that, it helps make the design more memorable and plays into the overall theme of the website. Using illustrations in the background of the wrapper in a standard layout, then allowing them to flow over, is an excellent and beautiful technique.
Match the Edge of the Graphic to the Body Color
The transition from the wrapper graphic to the plain background is important. It is crucial to match the color on the very edge of the graphic to the color of the website’s body background.
Keep the Style Consistent with the Rest of the Design
Consistency is mentioned often in Web design, and that’s because it is one of the more important characteristics a Web design can have. When making an illustration for the wrapper of a website, it should carry the same style as the rest of the website. The color palette should be similar too.
For example, if you are using a hand-drawn style for elements such as typography and borders, then the illustration should also have that same hand-drawn style. The website below shows this by using a hand-drawn illustration along with hand-drawn fonts.
Allow Some Graphic to Bleed into the Content Area
To create a smoother layout with an illustrated wrapper, you should not only put graphics behind the content container but allow some of the illustration to flow over and into the content container. The website shown below is a perfect example.
Extend the Graphics throughout the Layout
While just the wrapper background may be enough, you may also want to consider continuing the illustration through the rest of the background. Take a look at the beautiful illustration on Web Designer Depot below. Not only is there illustration behind the top of the wrapper, but there are graphics dispersed throughout the rest of the background.
Also, the header illustration is continued at the bottom of the wrapper. This keeps the great theme alive throughout the page.
Full Body Backgrounds
Full body backgrounds are a bit trickier, as they can easily throw off the rest of the design if done incorrectly. Here are some good techniques to help you work around any problems with full body backgrounds and help enhance the visual experience.
Don’t Take Away from the Content
As said above, you have so many possibilities when designing a background, but there is a fine line between a beautiful background and one that detracts too much from the content.
You simply have to pay attention to contrast and the number of graphical elements in the background. If the body background is too busy, it won’t look so good. If the background color is too bright, it will grab the user’s attention before the core content does.
Use Highlights or Bevels to Separate Colors
One heavily used Web 2.0 technique is highlights (essentially, bevels) to separate different colors in a background — or an element, for that matter. For now, we’ll simply focus on background highlights.
So how do you use bevels? These are simply two 1-pixel lines used to divide colors. Look at the image below. You will notice that when the background color switches, a subtle highlight is used. This makes for a very nice and clean layout while adding dimension to the website.
Below is a closer look at the highlight. The background color of the top container is darker than that of the bottom container. Then, to transition between these containers, there are two lines. The top is a darker color and the bottom is a lighter color. This creates that bevel-like effect that looks amazing when used in transitions.
The bevel is great for colors of slight contrast, and it can also be used with opposite colors if the darker color in the bevel lies closer to the lighter color in the background. The other side of this is the highlight. The highlight works best with colors of high contrast. It is simply a 1-pixel line used for transition, like the bevel.
This technique is also used on the Blog Action Day website to separate the green, gray and darker colors. Notice how between the light gray at the top and the green is a 1-pixel white line. Also, below that is a light-green 1-pixel line that separates the green and dark gray.
Mix of Fixed and Liquid Graphics: Parallax Effect
Most websites will just use a static background without layered images. If you really want to take an extra step, you could create a collaboration of fluid and fixed layered graphics.
The website below uses this technique. The large light-blue clouds in the far background are a set distance from the left, so they move when the browser is re-sized. The layer in the foreground, the houses and trees, is static and does not move.
This technique almost creates a parallax effect. I say “almost” because parallax effects usually have many layers to create a movement effect. The most well-known example of a website that has a good CSS-based parallax effect is Silverback.
The Silverback website has about three layers. Each layer in fact moves, but they are all set at different scroll percentages, meaning that they don’t move the same amount when the browser is adjusted. Notice how each layer has different colors and shapes. Also, notice how the top layer is slightly blurred to give the effect more depth.
Use a Low-Contrast Pattern or Texture
Very subtle textures that are only noticeable on closer inspection add a little more detail to a design. A low-contrast pattern, meaning a pattern that stays within a small color range, does this great. It looks very nice and does not distract the user from other elements.
Creattica Daily uses this very technique. A subtle repeating pattern is used in the background but it stays within a controlled color range.
Another clean design is the Product Planner website, which has a similar pattern and shows the same technique of slight contrast. This texture provides a more compelling visual experience to help engage the user.
Combine Texture and Illustration
Some websites use just one or another, but why not combine techniques? This creates an even more engaging and unique visual experience. The website below, Web Design Ledger, mixes illustration and a wood texture. The illustration is subtle, though, and not a huge contrast to the wood texture.
Add Dimension
Yet another awesome way to take a website design to the next level is by adding dimension through lighting and illustration techniques. Dimension enhances the visual experience and shows true skill.
This website uses 3-D lighting effects beautifully. The dimension in the background, and every element, looks stunning and really grabs the user’s attention. This level of dimension is sure to leave a good impression and make the website more memorable.
Full Body Images
Use a Fixed Image and Content Background
Working with image backgrounds can be a little tricky because you can’t repeat them. Therefore, you must find another way to work the image into the layout.
Below is a perfect example of this technique from Nike. It uses a very large image in the background, but the background is fixed. The content container and content background scroll, but the body background image does not. On top of that, it uses an image that flows in all resolutions, and the image is not scaled.
Apply a Slight Vignette
Another good technique for implementing images is the vignette effect. This helps to bring more focus to the content in the center and looks very nice with large image backgrounds. It is important to only use a slight vignette though. You will notice the background above does in fact have a subtle vignette.
Here is another website that uses this technique with images. The vignette pushes the eye towards the content and helps intensify the image itself. Also, take a look at the very heavy grunge use. This really captures the mood of the website.
Find a Balance in Contrast
Images are excellent, but a problem occurs when the colors in the images have deeper contrast than the content and content background. This immediately pulls the user’s eye from the content to the image, which is obviously a problem for readability.
I will use this same example from Kraft once more. If you look very closely, you will notice that the image actually isn’t very rich in color. This isn’t because it is a bad image, but because it needs to be a little dull to…
Additionally, notice that the image is focused on the sundae. The content is around the sundae, in the areas where the image goes out of focus. The lack of focus behind the content helps bring the eye up to the content in the foreground even more. This of course was achieved by the photographer, but it can be done easily with a simple lens blur effect in Photoshop.
Create Seamless Tiles or Repeat Backgrounds
The easiest way to make a good background is to use a repeat. This doesn’t require large images, but you need to be aware of many factors when creating a background that repeats. To make this easier to explain, I will use Brad Colbow’s website as a case study, because it seamlessly tiles an image.
Use Large Images to Repeat
To make a really good background, you should use large images. The background image use by Brad Colbow is about 1000 pixels, then it repeats. Take a look at the image below. The red lines show where the image ends and repeats.
Line Up Edges Perfectly
More important than anything, the edges of the images must line up perfectly. The area where the image meets must be the exact same color, meaning when you create your background image, the right and left side need to match up. If using shapes, they must join cleanly.
Take a look at the example below. The first screenshot is the exact image (scaled) used in the background of the website. Then, below that is a screenshot that shows how the image meets when it is set to repeat. The edges of the background image match perfectly. Notice how the cloud flows without any breaks or interruptions, and the water color on both the right and left edge are the same.
Remove Noticeable Objects That Repeat
If you are tiling a background image, and an object in the image noticeably repeats, remove it. You want a background pattern that flows without interruption and that looks like one image instead of multiple tiled images. Now, this guideline isn’t so important to Brad Colbow’s website because it uses a very large image, and repeating objects are hard to spot when the image being repeated is so large. This is more something to pay attention to if you are repeating a small image.
Place a Graphic in One Section, But Not Another
Another way to mask a repeating image is to place an element in one section of the background but not another. What does that mean? Well, take the example of Brad Colbow’s website once more.
This image shows an island that Brad incorporates into the background. The inland graphic does not repeat with the rest of the background. This provides more variation and makes it harder to notice that the background is in fact a repeating image.
Content/Wrapper Background Techniques
Content backgrounds can be somewhat of a challenge, too. The background has to be subtle or it will ruin the content. Here are a few ways to liven up content backgrounds without going over the top.
A Simple Gradient
Believe it or not, small details can have a huge impact on a website design. One small detail commonly used in layouts is a gradient. Gradients are very simple, yet if used correctly can bring a boring design to life.
Look at the screenshot below, then try to imagine it without the gradient background. It would be very boring and bland. Such a simple effect can go a long way.
A Subtle Texture
Textures are another awesome background technique. Textures help add to the theme of a website. For example, a grungy texture is perfect for a rock-and-roll music website because it reinforces the theme. When using textures as backgrounds, it is very important not to go over the top. The texture should be subtle enough that the text is still legible.
Here below is a decent example of texture use. The body background is very heavily textured. The content background is consistent with this style but not as heavily textured as the body.
Fade the Wrapper to Body Background
This may sound confusing at first, but it is actually a relatively simple technique and looks very nice if you can do it correctly. To see it in use, look at the screenshot of ZenSender below. At the top, a layered wrapper background is used on the body background structure. Then, about halfway down, the wrapper background fades out and transitions to a single body background. This is just yet another technique to consider.
Style the Borders of the Wrapper/Modules
It is difficult to style the actual background of the wrapper without taking away too much from the content, but you can style the borders and edges of the wrapper to stay consistent with the body background. The website below has a very nice texture and pattern that styles the edges of content elements.
Use Semi-Transparent Content Backgrounds in Layered Designs
One final technique for styling content wrapper backgrounds in a layered structure is using transparency. Transparency allows visibility of the background while separating the background from the text. It is important to use a text color that contrasts well with the background color, and don’t make the background too transparent.
The website shown below finds a perfect balance with semi-transparent content backgrounds. The body image can be clearly seen, but the text is still legible and the body image doesn’t distract the user’s eye.
Showcase of Help Elements
365 Days of Astronomy
A beautiful background with a fancy wrapper background illustration.
TN Vacation
A very nice mixture of grunge style and image collage.
Squared Eye
Good background pattern and colors, and nice header design.
Grace of Alexandria
A good example of a pattern that adds to the theme of the design.
IconDock
Besides the beautiful illustration, this website has a great wood texture. The texture graphic is static, so there are no scroll issues.
Old Loft
Here is an extremely good example of content being laid directly on an illustration.
Studiobanks
Good background pattern with a perfect color.
HutchHouse
A fun illustrated background that captures the user’s attention.
280 Slides
Good color combination and gradients to liven up the design.
JUNECLOUD
An illustrated header and a pattern to separate it.
Andrew Greig
Colorful header and good use of the bevel to separate the containers.
GOTOCHINA
A very nice image that fades out, and good use of semi-transparent elements.
eWedding
The low-contrast shapes in the body background complement the rest of the design perfectly.
Bellingham Real Estate
Good header graphics and a beautifully textured wrapper background.
Duplika
An excellent and vibrant body background.
ANidea
A funky but powerful body background with wrapper styling that works with the background.
Flash Gaming Summit
This website uses a colorful static body background.
Twiistup
A vibrant and intense static background beneath separate content elements.
Design Disease
Fun and light, the content is laid directly over the background in this design.
RapidWeaver
Beautiful wrapper background that fades to a plain white background.
Sony CES 2009
A powerful background with individual modules laid over it.
Mediocore
This is an awesome background with some good dimension.
Chris Merritt
Some lighting effects with a unique pattern layered on top to create a cool visual effect.
Robyn
This background uses an illustration and soft colors to make a visually pleasing experience.
Advanced Wellness
The colors in the navigation background immediately grab the user but still work with the rest of the design.
August
The background image isn’t overly distracting, and it fades out nicely.
Further Resources
You may also be interested in the following related posts:
(al)
DKumar M.
March 31st, 2009 8:30 amMostly it’s already known by designers and developers that backgrounds are one of the most important aspects in the overall design and feel of a web page. However, Designers try to impress visitors with appealing design elements, Code tweaks, jQuery combination etc…Background images are one of those , unfortunately they are often overlooked or misused.
This Write-up comes in handy for design seekers and trend followers. Thanks Matt, for sharing such a quality article about design and inspiration.
DKumar M.
adamz
March 31st, 2009 8:33 amAnother list of sites….
why not name this article “March 2009 Inspiration”?
What I do not understand is that all the above is old news..
Something new on this site is needed.
The lists are getting dry
Karsten
March 31st, 2009 8:39 amadamz, where do you see a list here?! it’s an extensive and useful article, go complaining somewhere else.
Mark
March 31st, 2009 8:42 amAdam, I can see where you’re coming from. The lists are a cool way to grab a bunch of info quickly though. I’m all for lists AND other types of articles.
EDIT: You know what? I take that back. On second glance, there is a ridiculous amount of content here. Explanations, examples, technique, AND a giant list of inspiration. Nice article.
TimShawFP
March 31st, 2009 9:11 amI enjoyed it.. thanks for another good read
Jeff
March 31st, 2009 9:20 amThe image on GOTOCHINA doesn’t fade out, the sky just isn’t visible through all the smog. As I looked at it, I could feel my throat getting scratchy.
MATHIZ
March 31st, 2009 9:23 amThanks I personally really like big backgrounds because you can make something really special out of it!
Rick
March 31st, 2009 9:26 am@adamz While I agree that articles that are basically lists aren’t generally as enriching, this post is not one of those. There is a lot of content here. Tips, observation and evaluation of trends (good) on a specific part of web design (even better).
Cheers to Matt on the great post!
Sergio Ordoñez
March 31st, 2009 9:36 am@Adamz: I partly agree with you, I have nothing again lists, but starts to be a bit boring seeing the same sites again and again.
Parallax
March 31st, 2009 9:38 amAdamz has a fair point. I’d go a step further and ask why it’s always the same sites in the list. Silverback and WebDesignerDepot are nice, but it’s a big web out there …
Joln
March 31st, 2009 9:40 amAnother great article!
Mike@ssm
March 31st, 2009 9:48 am@MATHIZ
I agree, bandwith not so much.
I am inspired by the madness that use to be my spice cupboard alway a great place to find new color combinations from spilled spice.
He who controls the spice!
these list are great when my idea engine is broken re-vamps the mind. bookstores are great too, but it’s like a foggy dream when I leave.
Yes new topics are needed I think SM has grown enough to extend it’s reach or at the very least new unknown “45 ????????” topics.
Kevin
March 31st, 2009 9:48 amGreat article! I’m in the process of developing a hand-drawn website and this article will be of great value in setting up all the pieces.
Thanks!
twitter: @delanotho
art2code
March 31st, 2009 9:48 amexcellent!
Marc
March 31st, 2009 9:56 amAgain (sorry to echo previous comments) it would be nice to have some more trawling done and show some different sites, there are plenty out there.
Then again, you get what you pay for and this is free, so we can’t really complain.
But then again, you’re also providing a service, so pull your fingers out and show us some new sites!
haha! one leg either side of the fence – that’s how to be politically correct.
Milan
March 31st, 2009 10:23 amNice article, would have lied to see that CarFreaks.net is there.
kiwus
March 31st, 2009 10:27 amI agree with adamz. Just a bunch of same sites we see in every “X inspirational webdesigns” article. If there was some tutorial or explanation how to approach different backgrounding techniques – it would be very helpful.
Kayla
March 31st, 2009 10:53 amI love these examples, I need to try out some of these techniques myself.
jameson
March 31st, 2009 11:17 amI was just in desparate need of some inspiration for a site background I’m working on. This came at exactly the right time and gave me a great idea, thanks!
irka
March 31st, 2009 11:18 ami love u smashing! whenever i need something,,,tada, it’s here :) smashing just read in my mind.
Rick
March 31st, 2009 12:22 pmDang. What an overwhelming list of beautiful websites. Great post!
Chris Robinson
March 31st, 2009 12:56 pmalthough I’ve seen a lot of these sites, its still a nice roundup
Sean
March 31st, 2009 1:19 pmBest article of its kind I’ve seen, thanks.
thechroma
March 31st, 2009 1:50 pmGreat list!.
Do you happen to have a tutorial on how they achieve these backgrounds?. It would be nice to have a step by step.
tom
March 31st, 2009 1:52 pmThanks. Nice inspiring overview .
Tracy
March 31st, 2009 2:08 pmGreat article! Love attention to backgrounds.
Fabian
March 31st, 2009 2:40 pmNice Resources! I also really like that background, I think they did a good job in implementing a fiting large bg pic with some grunge paper design.
By the way I just love smashing magazine, keep the good work up!
cheers
Fab
Aaron
March 31st, 2009 3:37 pmI am a beginner designer, and these techniques finally spell out a lot of ideas that seem pretty common when I think about each of the websites I see everyday. I especially was amazed by GOTOCHINA. The design is spectacular, and I liked how the navigation at the bottom faded out when it “realized” you were viewing the page for an extended period of time.
Thanks Smashing for writing this!
Ron
March 31st, 2009 5:18 pmExcellent article. Backgrounds are a fundamental part of any site design and the article does a good job of covering many different techniques that help improve content readability while at the same time increasing aesthetic appeal, all reinforced through numerous examples. Perhaps follow up articles on how to effectively implement many of these techniques would be a good idea for those users who may not know how they are done.
Liane
March 31st, 2009 5:34 pmThanks for another inspiring article – some of my best ideas from Smashing!
Thiago
March 31st, 2009 5:37 pmMundi Biggest Travel Search in Latino America, made this today! Also with a background image ;P check this out!
jerson
July 6th, 2010 11:35 pmgood design……….
Shali
March 31st, 2009 5:38 pmGreat article! Love it!
frank achon
March 31st, 2009 6:20 pmAwesome!!! just what I need for my Web Design 2 Final. Very detailed explanations of details that makes a nice website. Thank you Smashteam
dapas
March 31st, 2009 8:01 pmGreat. Nice post …
G F Mueden
March 31st, 2009 8:54 pmI wish that the illustrations had been links to full screens. I suspect that a number will not be topnotch as to legibility.
I found many to be too busy. My personal preference is for simplicity and a clearly stated message. I think this attitude comes with age – with which I am too well provided.
How would it be to submit them , one at a time, for critique? We don’t always see what others do. ===gm===
webwitch
March 31st, 2009 11:22 pmThanks for the artikel, it will help me a lot…I’m still learning, I need to know. I can understand when a few of readers her are bored beause they knew these things already but there are still a lot of people like me who have to learn.
OverZero.it
March 31st, 2009 11:32 pmThank you very much for this article, very interesting!
Sometimes backgrounds are underrated… :)
Creamy CSS
March 31st, 2009 11:48 pmthanks a lot for great source of backgrounded websites inspiration!
Simon Day
April 1st, 2009 12:07 amAfter 11 years creating websites it takes a lot for me to go “Whoa nice!”
The Dragon website is a seriously clever and unique way of really making the site memorable and the content easy to find/read. The 3D, while simple, is stunning and the gap makes the separation of links and content really concise.
Top marks guys!
Tim Holmes
April 1st, 2009 12:13 amA really really nice article, but more in terms of inspirational design that learning. Much of what was documented is already common practice and known by designers the world over.
However, a very good article none the less.
TIm
Idemium
April 1st, 2009 1:50 amThis one is nice too : http://www.thegreatbeardedreef.com/
Isn’t it ?
miniMAC
April 1st, 2009 2:03 amGreat Collections!
Nadun
April 1st, 2009 2:07 amgreat article.. learnt lot out of it.
kimee
April 1st, 2009 2:54 amgood ~
davey
April 1st, 2009 2:57 amyessssss!
Matthew Smith
April 1st, 2009 4:45 amAlmost thought it was an April Fools joke to see Squared Eye on the front page of SM! Ha, it was posted yesterday, so no chance of that. Really glad to see you’re enjoying our choice of backgrounds. One thing that our unique article setup allows us is to choose unique CSS for those pages (like: Branding Squared Eye), so that when I write the next article on the similarities between Craft Brewing and Craft Web Design, I can actually fill the background with beer :P
Things are getting more fun on the web!
Laurence
April 1st, 2009 5:03 amGood article – lots to think about.
AmandaM
April 1st, 2009 5:03 amThanks for the post. I found a lot of the information to be helpful, and inspiring. Great list of websites to reference again and again. I will be visiting smashing regularly for more great tips.
(zoe)
April 1st, 2009 6:25 amInspirational.
Ben
April 1st, 2009 6:46 amBest Article on web design I’ve read in a long time.
volkan
April 1st, 2009 6:50 amHi folks,
a couple of days ago i wrote a short blog post on how to achive full ‘body’ backgrounds with mootools:
http://web.rhizom.nl/03/mootools-supersize-background/
there also links to other solutions…
regards Volkan
Aakash
April 1st, 2009 6:50 amkwel!
Myndmelt
April 1st, 2009 7:32 amThe background of this website is white! Just kidding, love this resource, and will be sharing it!
Michael Mogill
April 1st, 2009 7:33 amGreat ideas — thanks for the write-up!
Ash
April 1st, 2009 7:52 amI love this kind of articles. Thanks !
Miciurash
April 1st, 2009 8:03 amwhat do you think about http://7starqualityflooring.com
Mathias
April 1st, 2009 9:09 amGreat article! Thanks :)
Nuno Amaral
April 1st, 2009 10:02 amMuito bom artigo.
alekos karalazos
April 1st, 2009 12:43 pmGreat post. Thanks!
Paul
April 1st, 2009 12:53 pmYou can add backgrounds to the actual HTML element using CSS. This allows you to use another layer for stacking backgrounds. Using transparency, adding backgrounds to the HTML, body and wrapper can get some very nice effects.
Matheus Siqueira
April 2nd, 2009 12:25 amthere’s an awesome site that uses background images in an incredible way:
http://flyingkebab.com
Ann
April 2nd, 2009 12:34 amThis is really helpful – I miss posts like these to water my wooly, dry brain. :) Great work, guys!
Aravind
April 2nd, 2009 1:08 amNice article..
A good background can change the perspective of a website dramatically.
I use a custom created, simple texture as my site’s background. And it works well.. :)
Sean
April 2nd, 2009 4:13 amGreat article! You should add the CannonballCannonball Communications site, it’s background is awesome.
Nady
April 2nd, 2009 4:40 amnice compilation…. thanks.
Puupe
April 2nd, 2009 7:15 amgreat article. thanks
tom
April 2nd, 2009 12:02 pmClueless newbie, here.
Could anyone point me to a primer/tutorial on what’s involved in getting backgrounds like this into a new design? (I know that’s not the point of the article, but would be grateful for a good place to learn about this.)
Thanks.
Paula
April 2nd, 2009 2:11 pmLove the article, love the designs. I also would love to see tutorials on how to put these backgrounds into a blog design. Thank you! I am also a newbie.
akinleke
April 3rd, 2009 12:41 amnice article.full of inspiration .thanks
Fernando Souza
April 3rd, 2009 10:51 amNince article! Congratulations Matt.
Scarf*oo
April 3rd, 2009 10:52 amLove the references, great post!
dert88
April 4th, 2009 8:17 amnice:)
th.
Bird Yoshikawa
April 6th, 2009 4:55 pmIt seems that “web 2.0″ has really taken over – most of these websites feature articles about inspirational websites that are, in fact, websites that feature articles about inspirational websites… and it’s remarkable how much they all look alike (just with different colors). Reading these articles one might get the impression that creativity is blossoming, when in fact, web design is really stuck in a trend that is in it’s fifth or sixth year of repeating and copycat malaise. Maybe the best thing Smashing Magazine could do would be to have an article that lists websites that don’t look like this.
mary17
April 7th, 2009 1:26 pmTalk about being a clueless newbie…I understand how to a seasoned designer this article may be old news, however to someone just starting out like myself, the designs were very inspirational. I also noticed a few requests from others like myself for tutorials. If anyone has gotten a response or can help please point me in the right direction!
thanks…
redefoca
April 11th, 2009 8:07 amvery good :)
Matt
May 5th, 2009 4:32 amNice
Josh B
May 5th, 2009 4:33 amGood resources
Chris
May 5th, 2009 4:35 amSquared Eye logo and background looks a lot like an illustration from a children’s book.
LINK
Dmcabrwf
June 22nd, 2009 8:06 ammNf9VX comment3 ,
Arul Anchalan.A
July 21st, 2009 3:42 amGood Collections!
Jesse Kinzer
November 22nd, 2009 6:55 pmIn response to Bird Yoshikawa and all other creative freedom fighters: To be creative with website design is good to a point. The 5 year trend “copycat” is for a reason. If we were alien in our design it would reflect on the business. Society does not want to do business with what they do not understand. I strongly advise we as artists to constrain our creativity and stay within these trends. Personally I will look at the demographic first and research the competition. Then I have an idea of how creative will be accepted. Remember, we create for the market and not ourselves. If you are not inspired by these designs, you have hit your limit of what is accepted by those markets. I believe they did well and everything is easily understood. Keep it simple and make it stick. Visually we are trained to be comfortable with branding. Straying too far from the farm and creating an alien will alienate you as well. Suddenly your creative power is weak.
Bird Yoshikawa
January 11th, 2010 5:26 pmHey Jesse, who said you could dictate who follows this website? Sorry folks, if you think of web design as creative expression, you’re not welcome at Smashing Magazine. SM is a place where we sharpen our pencils, and sell Cornflakes® to a public that shouldn’t think too much. Time is money, everyone! And money is your only purpose.
Anton Mislavsky
February 25th, 2010 2:52 pmamazing post! I found so many ideas! There are so much inspiration for future work :)
espedilla
July 7th, 2010 10:46 pmnice post…
Adnan mughal
August 2nd, 2010 12:12 amHello,
dear your working is very good and cool dear. It’s very good keep it up carry on i like it.
raheel4art
September 1st, 2010 3:08 amthanks to share wonderful template.If you have more templates please send me.
Amod Oke
September 7th, 2010 3:52 amOne word = AWESOME! =)
Matt Fisher
September 21st, 2010 1:37 pmLots of options. Good to know!
peter jerry
November 2nd, 2010 6:38 amIt’s really amazing work, I am inspired by your work and obviously this blog is perfect. thank you
HZD
January 3rd, 2011 11:34 pmI want to design some like these
torrente
April 13th, 2011 2:21 amnever seen a post as complete before ! wonderful job, i’m going to stay a while here, thx
Andrew
June 15th, 2011 9:09 pmAnyone know of any resources or tutorials for how to have graphics bleed over into the content as suggested in the above example for this url (http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/)
And can someone give me a brief explanation?
“Extend the Graphics throughout the Layout
While just the wrapper background may be enough, you may also want to consider continuing the illustration through the rest of the background. Take a look at the beautiful illustration on Web Designer Depot below. Not only is there illustration behind the top of the wrapper, but there are graphics dispersed throughout the rest of the background.”
Incircle Media
June 27th, 2011 10:18 pmExcellent guide and practice.
Larry Melnick
September 14th, 2011 6:12 amVery helpful! I have a client that is using a bright red background in places (the color of their logo) with quite a bit of white body copy (small font size). While their is definite contrast, I found it difficult to read and aggravating on my eyes. Any thoughts or research on this?
G. Cole
November 18th, 2011 4:48 amNice post!
Some of the webpages have been updated now but the pictures still work and I love how you brake it down.
I’ve started a company and working with designs to wordpress for companies, but not being a designer I have alot to learn when it comes to that part of running my company.
Going to bring in a designer further on but feel that I want to learn as much as possible about it so posts with this kind of content for free is an immense help.
Thanks alot!
Anita Clark Realtor
January 6th, 2012 2:14 amNearly 3 years later much of this information is still a fantastic resource for anyone looking to create a web presence.